New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal stepped out of Tihar Jail Friday, hours after the Supreme Court granted him bail in the excise policy case being probed by the CBI.
Hundreds of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers and senior party leaders, including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, were waiting outside the prison to welcome Kejriwal.
Drenched in rain, Mann, Sisodia raised slogans hailing Kejriwal from atop a truck. Slogans like “Jail ke taale toot gaye, Kejriwal choot gaye”, “Bhrastachaar ka ek hi kaal, Kejriwal, Kejriwal” rent the air.
In his first remarks after being released from the Tihar Jail, Kejriwal said he will continue to fight “anti-national” forces working to weaken the nation, and asserted the incarceration has only strengthened his resolve.
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“I want to thank people who prayed for my release. You have braved rain to come here and I am thankful to you. Every drop of my blood is dedicated in the service of my nation. In my entire life, I have faced difficulties but the God has always been with me,” he said.
Kejriwal stressed that the jail time has strengthened his resolve.
“They put me in jail to break me but my resolve has only grown stronger. Jails cannot break me. I will continue my fight against anti-national forces,” he said.
Kejriwal came out of Tihar in a car, followed by his security convoy.
The AAP chief was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) June 26. He has challenged in the apex court the Delhi High Court’s August 5 order that upheld his arrest in the corruption case.
On July 12, the apex court granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the money-laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise scam.
PNN & Agencies